No negative runs a huge positive

With Ron Leary at left guard and rookie Travis Frederick at center, the Cowboys amassed 170 rushing yards in Sunday’s preseason-opening win over Miami.

Last season, Dallas ranked 31st in the league with a 79.1 yards per game average.

“There were no negative runs, which is a really, really important thing,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “Besides not having a really good yards per attempt last year in the running game, we had so many negative runs. And it’s just hard when you’re playing from behind the sticks all of the time. You can’t establish what you want to establish.”

Garrett said the lack of negative runs was a team effort, but the addition of Frederick and Leary has to give the Cowboys something they lack last year: A strong inside push.